Russia, China and Iran deployed vessels to the Strait of Hormuz to take part in a joint maritime exercise scheduled for later this month, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday, as the three countries deepen naval coordination amid a US military buildup in the region.

The drills come as Iran has intensified diplomatic outreach to Russia and China while also engaging in a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, underscoring Tehran’s parallel-track approach of diplomacy and deterrence.

Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev told Argumenty i Fakty on Tuesday that Moscow was seeking to break Western “hegemony” over the seas by building a “multipolar world order in the oceans.” Patrushev, who chairs the Russian Maritime Board — a body established in August 2024 to coordinate national maritime policy and strengthen naval defense — accused Western countries of relying on “gunboat diplomacy,” including around Iran, prompting Russia and its partners to boost naval cooperation.

“The Maritime Security Belt 2026 exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, where Russia, China and Iran sent their ships, proved highly relevant,” Patrushev remarked.